


Wear a Mask (To Protect Your Identity, Not to Hide From Friends)

by SleepySsnail



Series: Moonlighting with the Piper [4]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: (for now) - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, But we all knew that, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Related, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Good Hartley Rathaway, Hartley Rathaway Needs a Hug, Hartley's parents suck, Humor, Nerdiness, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pied Piper gets an upgrade, Platonic Cuddling, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Sleepy Cuddles, Tags Are Hard, The Librarians reference, Vibe hints
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:41:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepySsnail/pseuds/SleepySsnail
Summary: “I called my parents,” Hartley stated, screwing his eyes shut and letting his head fall back against the couch.“How’d it go?”“The same as usual,” Hartley sighed, disappointment etched onto his face. “They didn’t talk to me.”Watching movies with Hartley late at night wasn't something Cisco ever thought he'd do, but it was actually enjoyable. And after a night of Barry fighting Captain Cold and Heatwave, Caitlin getting kidnapped and Cisco having to find her, nothing sounds better than relaxing with a cool movie.Except for the fact that Hartley isn't acting normal, but family issues can do that to a guy. Cisco just hopes he can make Hartley smile a bit after such a whirlwind of a night.
Relationships: Cisco Ramon & Hartley Rathaway, Cisco Ramon/Hartley Rathaway
Series: Moonlighting with the Piper [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1932730
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Wear a Mask (To Protect Your Identity, Not to Hide From Friends)

**Author's Note:**

> Am I leaving a tv show quote instead of a sassy remark this time? Absolutely.
> 
> "Family ain't easy." - Jacob Stone, The Librarians.

Cisco knew Hartley broke into his apartment before he even finished unlocking the door. Anyone else would’ve missed how a few of the gel stickers decorating the front of his door had been straightened or moved to a more aesthetically pleasing space, but it was alerted Cisco to the fact that Hartley was there. Whether he found time to make a copy of Cisco’s house key or if he simply picked the lock Cisco didn’t know, but he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know either.

Rolling his eyes at how Hartley had neatly lined his shoes up at the front door, Cisco kicked off his own sneakers and called, “A little warning would be nice next time you decide to drop by!”

“You were busy.”

It wasn’t a lie. Cisco was busy. Between making the shields for the CCPD to defend against the cold gun—the gun _he_ made with his own hands that _hurt_ people—figuring out how the heat and cold guns could cancel each other out, and finding Caitlin, Cisco hadn’t actually thought to check his phone for any messages. Not like Hartley would leave one anyway. Hartley went through burner phones like Cisco went through candy, and voicemails weren’t something either of them were willing to deal with.

“Did you really have to change up my door décor?” Cisco asked as he shed his jacket and tossed it over a chair.

Looking away from whatever he was watching to give Cisco a once over, Hartley let a smirk take over his expression. “I had to disrupt the balance of the universe to make sure you came back alive. If I didn’t, who knows what would’ve happened.”

Rolling his eyes at the downright silliness of the comment, Cisco pushed Hartley to the side of the couch and slumped down, the events of the night finally taking their toll. Letting out a long breath, Cisco tried to place what movie Hartley was watching before deciding that pajamas were necessary. He’d been through enough all-nighters and long days to know that if he sat down for too long, he'd fall asleep on the couch before he could move to his room. And the knowledge that Hartley would most certainly occupy his bed if given the chance was more than enough incentive to get Cisco up and moving.

To his credit, Hartley stopped whatever was playing until Cisco returned, clad in a pair of loose sweatpants and a soft shirt with a faded design. “So,” Hartley said as he queued up a new film, “I saw the news. About Caitlin and the Flash. Is she—are they okay?”

“Yeah,” Cisco nodded, ignoring how Hartley changed the phrasing of his question. “Caitlin’s okay, just a little shaken up.”

“And Flash?” Hartley asked, adjusting the cartoon blanket he snagged from the back of the couch.

Hugging a pillow to his chest, Cisco nodded and smiled, “He’s fine. He’s doing better now that things are under control, so he should be back to pushing himself past his limits in no time.”

Chuckling at the remark, Hartley crossed his arms and said, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t tempted to join him tonight, but figured Pied Piper wouldn’t have been that useful.”

“Are you kidding me?” Cisco asked, giving Hartley’s shoulder a playful shove, “Having you on the Flash’s side would probably knock some sense into his head and make him realize you’re not trying to vie for attention or get in his way.”

Smiling wryly, Hartley said, “I know. But I’m not linked into your comms, and you’re right about how people would recognize me.”

That meant Dr. Wells. He was the only person Hartley was concerned about learning his identity, and Cisco was just as careful whenever he had to work the security cameras during one of Pied Piper’s jobs. Having Hartley on video recording would be disastrous, but thinking about how Dr. Wells would react to Cisco working with him added another layer of caution.

Remembering how the man reacted during the first encounter with Snart and the cold gun was bad enough. It hadn’t just been the disappointment Cisco received from the man, it had been the air of intimidation he gave off that made Cisco wary of sharing his involvement with Pied Piper. So he double checked his calibrations, retraced his steps, and made sure to do anything he could that would prevent him or Hartley from getting caught.

“Besides,” Hartley continued with a dismissive wave of his hand, “Sound waves against fire and ice doesn’t seem like the best combination.”

Cisco thought for a moment about the potential effects Hartley’s gauntlets could have on the different guns, only snapping out of his thinking when Hartley elbowed him sharply in the ribs to get his attention.

“Pay attention,” Hartley said roughly, pointing to the opening credits that had begun playing. “You’re going to miss all the interesting parts.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cisco muttered, rubbing his side where Hartley jabbed him.

Zoning out as the movie began to play, Cisco found himself struggling to keep up with the show, like something was missing from the routine. Normally Hartley would talk during his movie choices, almost never shutting up while he spoke over the actual movie. Whether it was to talk about the director and producers’ commentary, fun facts about filming, or just stuff he wanted to share, it was clear that Hartley was excited about what they were watching. It was nice to see Hartley loosen up over his favorite shows, and Cisco would be lying if he said he didn’t do pretty much the exact same thing.

But now that he was paying attention, Cisco was beginning to realize that Hartley hadn’t said a thing since the opening scene. That was just...wrong. Frankly, Hartley not talking in general was wrong, but the fact that he was watching the TV without so much as a glimmer of amusement made it obvious that something was up.

“Okay,” Cisco said, pausing the movie with no interference from Hartley. “What’s going on?”

Raising an eyebrow at the question, Hartley shifted his blanket again. “Pardon?”

“You,” Cisco said, waving his hands at Hartley, “You’re not saying anything. I can never get you to shut up during a movie but you haven’t said anything. So, what’s up?”

A brief flicker of surprise crossed Hartley’s face before disappearing behind his carefully guarded expression. Glancing back at the TV with a small sigh, Hartley said, “You’re more observant than I give you credit for Cisco.”

Cisco was going to take that as a compliment. Acting as the eyes and ears for two vigilantes made Cisco aware of things he used to overlook and ignore, and although spotting out of place behavior was something he didn’t expect to adapt to, Cisco thought he was doing a fairly decent job at it.

Screwing his eyes shut, Hartley let his head fall back against the couch and stated, “I called my parents.”

The admission hung in the air for a long moment while Cisco connected the dots. It didn’t take him long to make the connection, but it was long enough to make Cisco feel like a complete jerk. With Caitlin’s kidnapping and the fight against Cold and Heatwave, it slipped Cisco’s mind that Hartley’s parents had been the first ones attacked by the crime duo.

But Hartley didn’t seem to care that Cisco didn’t bring up the situation. From the looks of things, Hartley was trying to avoid talking about what went down over the phone, and for a guy who was incredibly good at deception he was doing a very poor job of pretending things were alright.

“How’d it go?” Cisco asked, trying to keep thing casual. The less pressure he put on Hartley, there were better chances of him opening up.

“The same as usual,” Hartley sighed, disappointment etched onto his face. “They didn’t talk to me.”

“Ouch,” Cisco frowned. There wasn’t really a good way to respond to that.

Nodding in agreement, Hartley stated, “It’s nothing new. The staff answer, tell me to hold, presumably go to my parents, and then tell me that I’m not to bother them again. It’s just...”

Trailing off into silence, Hartley took his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose, closing his eyes tightly. Seeing Hartley this open with his feelings was more than rare, and the fact that he was even telling Cisco all this went beyond what was expected from Hartley. It was almost scary to see a man so calm and collected be at loss for words from a simple phone call. Scooting closer, Cisco bumped shoulders with Hartley as a silent form of communication, hoping he’d continue instead of shutting Cisco out.

It worked. Dragging his hands through his hair and causing it to stick up at odd angles, Hartley said, “I heard my father tell his assistant that he doesn’t have a son anymore.”

Hearing Hartley relay the message made Cisco flinch for a reason he couldn’t explain. Maybe it was because he actually started getting to _know_ Hartley and understand that he wasn’t a total dick _all_ the time, but Cisco was more than ready to give the Rathaways a piece of his mind.

But Hartley wasn’t done. Trying and failing to speak with the same I-couldn’t-care-less attitude he tended to adopt, Hartley said, “I know I don’t matter to them, obviously. I’d be an idiot to think they did.”

Sighing as his words hung in the air, Hartley picked up the remote and toyed with the volume, like he was unsure of how to proceed, which was ridiculous. Out of everyone Cisco knew, Hartley always had some kind of comeback, be it verbal or physical in nature, and he never let things just _hang_ when he could wrap them up or prove a point. This must’ve been eating at him more than Hartley was really letting on, which was fine, but letting the conversation trail off into an awkward silence without even a little resolution wasn’t something Cisco would stand for.

Closing the small space between them, Cisco offered a small smile and leaned against Hartley, pressing their shoulders together. “Family isn’t easy—”

“Really? I didn’t know.”

“—but I think you matter. And I know that doesn’t count for much, but you _know_ I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.”

Hartley stiffened as he processed what Cisco said, only to relax and let out a light chuckle. “You never have been one for beating around the bush.”

“You’re only saying that because you do the same thing,” Cisco snorted, recalling all the times Hartley directly called him on something with no regard for how it appeared to anyone else.

“True,” Hartley said, a small but genuine smile on his lips. 

Maybe it was because of how tired he was, or maybe it was because Hartley didn’t look like a kicked puppy anymore, but an idea came to life in the back of Cisco’s mind. Unable to stop himself, Cisco held up a hand and said, “Wait here,” before disappearing into his room.

Returning with the newest but still incomplete addition to the Pied Piper outfit, Cisco sat cross-legged on the couch so he could face Hartley the best he could. The curious expression Hartley wore was worth revealing his surprise early. Questioning looks, skeptical glances, and uncertain stares were one thing, but the only times Cisco had seen Hartley look truly curious was when they were working at STAR Labs on the accelerator or other projects with Dr. Wells. Even then, Hartley usually kept a lid on his facial expressions, keeping others from seeing past the walls he put up.

“It’s been a rough night for all of us,” Cisco said, smiling as he spoke. “Thought you could use a bit of a surprise.”

Tilting his head to the side in confusion, Hartley began to speak only for Cisco to thrust the tech into his lap. Like he would handle any other piece of technology he hadn’t built himself, Hartley carefully turned over the goggles in his hands, examining the work on them before meeting Cisco’s eyes.

“You made this?”

Nodding proudly, Cisco said, “It’s a present. I’m not really done with them yet, but I thought maybe if they were practical in a sense, you’d stop whining about not needing a mask.”

Humming in approval, Hartley held up the goggles to his face to peer through the lenses. “Is this my prescription?”

Hacking into the optometrist was way easier than Cisco thought it would be, and it was a much better idea than stealing the lenses from Hartley’s spare frames.

“You like it?” Cisco asked, bracing himself for the critique he usually received.

But all Hartley did was nod and smile wider, trailing his fingers over the silver accents. “I have a few suggestions, but otherwise this is...I mean, the design is a bit clunky, but it fits with the theme, and as long as they work I don’t see why I wouldn’t use them. How did you come up with this?”

Grinning at the rare praise, Cisco tucked some of his hair behind his ear before stating, “I kinda dreamt it up.”

“Seriously?” Hartley asked, amusement coating his words as he continued to examine the incomplete gadget. “What did you do to dream of this?”

“Played _Portal_ for three hours straight and ate nothing but gummy frogs. Had a lucid dream where I wore some dope ass goggles and opened portals with my bare hands.”

It had been a weird dream, but it was awesome and when he woke up, Cisco wrote down everything he could remember, including the goggles he wore in it. However, while his were more like retrofitted sunglasses, Hartley’s were designed with more of a steampunk flare. They were a bit bulky which he could cut down later, but the material was light enough it wouldn’t be too much of a bother. And since Cisco was still technically developing them, he and Hartley could work on it together to smooth out any kinks. The only downside had been the massive nosebleed Cisco suffered after waking up, but it wasn’t too much of a price to pay for the result of a really cool dream.

“So these are based off the accessory you wore in a dream you had after playing videogames while you should be asleep,” Hartley speculated, still gazing at the machinery in his hands. “Not a wise decision, but in this case, definitely worth it.”

Taking back the goggles, Cisco returned them to the bottom drawer of his desk that had different project blueprints and parts scattered across it. Settling back down on the couch, Cisco tried not to stare while he took in how much calmer and relaxed Hartley was. Be it the goggles or just talking to someone who would listen, it was good to know Hartley wasn’t tensed up and ready for a fight.

“I’m going to rewind the movie,” Hartley stated, already returning to the beginning “You probably missed all the foreshadowing.”

Hearing the sass return to Hartley’s voice was all Cisco needed to know that things were going to be okay, at least for now. Finally chilling out as the movie’s opening scene flickered across the screen again, Cisco slumped against Hartley. Trying to keep his tired mind from wandering, Cisco briefly wondered what would’ve happened if Hartley had been left alone to deal with his issues.

“I can hear you thinking,” Hartley said with a singsong voice.

“Yeah right,” Cisco scoffed. Hearing Cisco’s heartbeat? Believable. Hearing everything that went into the process of Cisco _thinking_? Not a chance.

Throwing an arm around the physicist’s shoulders, Cisco watched the movie with growing interest. It was weird, a little predictable, but funny and he liked the main character. 

“Are you seriously cuddling me right now?” Hartley asked, shifting under the new weight.

“Technically,” Cisco muttered under his breath, “ _We’re_ cuddling. Nothing wrong with that.”

Hartley’s body shook momentarily with suppressed laughter. “It’s too late to argue about that. But I swear if you drool on me, I'll get you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cisco muttered dismissively. If Hartley wasn’t happy, he’d complain about it or say something scathing. Threats about not being happy meant nothing to Cisco, in fact the might just egg him on.

Letting out a brief huff of laughter, Hartley sighed and said in a sincere voice, “Thank you for listening.”

Something warm fluttered in Cisco’s chest at that, making him smile brightly despite how tired he was. “Anytime dude. And hey, if you want to hold me during the next cuddle session—”

“Not a chance.”

“—just say the word.”

**Author's Note:**

> I had to mess with canon and change up a bit, so instead of calling his parents before Snart and Rory attacked and stole the painting, Hartley called them after (which makes their rejection sting a little more). The goggles Cisco made for Hartley were inspired by [these images](https://thelibrarians.fandom.com/wiki/Victor_Finch%27s_goggles) but can be interpreted as you like. This was especially fun to write and I hope you guys enjoyed it!


End file.
